Cooking with Barb

Spicy lentil and tomato soupstew, stoup or perhaps stewp.

Make Quinovegbean burgers:
1 of each grated; onion, carrot, courgette. 4 sundried tomatoes rehydrated in boiling water for 20 mins. 1 can of mixed beans. 1/2 can chick peas, 1 cup quinoa (uncooked volume then cook it as per instructions and don't use all of it because you made too much) cook grated stuff in pan for 5 mins or so, add beans, chick peas & quinoa. Mash up roughly in pan then let cool. Shape into burgers (10 or 12). Cook in oven on low for 40 minutes. Cool. Freeze. Congratulate yourself on saving heaps of money by not buying expensive veggie burgers.

(That's my Mum's brown crock pot under the quinovegbean burgers that I have been baking my bread in)

Decide to carry on cooking.

Don't think of it as a recipe but more of a guideline...

• 2 medium or 3 small onions (I used organic red onions because they were on sale at the supermarket)
• 2 medium carrots (organic of course)
  
• 2 small potatoes (not organic, boo)
  
• 1tbspn chopped/minced/grated garlic or as much as you like
• 1 1/2 - 2 cups red lentils (12 - 16oz in volume no idea in metric) I used 2 cups for a thick soup
  
• Small amount of cooked quinoa left over from making quinobeanveg burgers this morning (you may omit this if you like)
• 1/2 can chickpeas (other half being quinobeanveg burger ingredients add a whole can if you didn't use half earlier)
  
• 1 can chopped tomatoes or 1 can tomatoes chopped with any yukky stalky hard bits removed
• About a tbsp of tomato puree/tomato concentrate
  
• About 2 1/2 pints (1 1/2 litres?) veg stock/liquid remembering that stock cubes/instant stock is salty and not adding any extra salt as Poppet is not supposed to eat too much salt because of his Meniere's disorder. In this 2 pints of liquid I included the leftover sauce from a can of mixed beans in chilli sauce (quinobeanveg burger ingredient) and the water from soaking some sun dried tomato (also quinovegburger ingredient) Improvise people, come on!
  
• Spices*
• Big pot
• Some time
  

1. Chop onions into a small dice with lightening speed like a pro

2. Wash blood from onions and cook in about a tablespoon of olive oil in your big pot until soft.

3. Very slowly and carefully chop carrot and potato into small pieces and add to pot.

4.*Add spices, whatever you like/have. I added turmeric, chilli powder and flakes, ground black pepper, garam masala, ginger, jerk seasoning, piri piri seasoning and a little dollop of red hot chilli sauce.

5. Add tomatoes and liquids, turn heat up and give it a stir.

6. Add 1 1/2 - 2 cups red lentils and 1/2 can chickpeas

7. Turn up heat and simmer for a few minutes.

8. Stir.

9. And keep stirring whilst trying to stop girl kitteh from clawing your leg for attenshun.

10. Lower heat quite a lot, stir until soupstew has stopped trying to escape, put the lid on and simmer for anything between 40mins and an hour stirring occasionally, tasting and adding a bit more spice, a splosh of pasta sauce from the fridge and perhaps a bit more water.

11. Wonder if stewp is your forte? Soupew?

12. Wait.....

13. While waiting make warming ginger tea to help chase away the snotty, sneezy, grotty cold that is absolutely not making Poppet accuse me of having man-flu. I am ill dammit!

14. Preserved ginger cut into bits (or fresh ginger or ground ginger) + honey + lemon + boiling water + "brewing" for 5 mins = nice spicy warm drink ( I take the ginger out before drinking) Wrap self in blanky, add 2 cats for warmth and wait a bit more.

15. Stop waiting.

16. Decide whether you want a chunky soupstew or a smooth thickstewpoup.

17. Whizz it in a blender for a smooth consistency, or set about it with a potato masher it and serve less chunky but not really smooth if you can't face having to wash your blender.

18. Congratulate yourself on making healthy food, remembering to take a few photos and showing off on blog.

19. Eat.